Manage stress & burnout with healthy boundaries

Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. owner, Bonita Eby, was a featured guest on the Balance + Bliss Podcast. This article summarizes a portion of that interview. Click to listen to the full podcast, Episode 95: Stress, Burnout, and setting healthy boundaries with Bonita Eby. On Apple Podcasts click here.

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Stress, burnout & boundaries

Host: Today, we're talking about something that I think every single person can relate to. We're talking about stress, burnout and setting boundaries. I just learned that boundaries were a thing in the last couple of years, which is terrifying. So I'm hoping you can shed some light on how to set healthy boundaries in our lives to reduce stress and reduce the likelihood of burnout.

What led you to work in the stress and burnout fields?

Host: You're passionate about burnout because of an experience that you had. Tell us a little bit about how you got into this work.

Bonita: I started out in healthcare as a Registered Massage Therapist working with survivors of traumatic motor vehicle accidents in the hospital and my own clinic. That work was incredibly rewarding but very hard on my body, so I transitioned into a leadership development position after a decade. I retrained, retooled and worked in leadership development, project management, and training teams and leaders. I loved that leadership space, but I was also on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on a crisis line. As the years went by, the tasks and responsibilities grew, as did the crisis caseload.

That went on for years, and to be perfectly honest, it took years for the overwhelming stress to build up before recognizing there was a problem. But, interestingly, I felt like I dealt with stress pretty well. I’d successfully handled many different crises, but I didn’t have the necessary training, tools, and resources to deal with the trauma I witnessed, so eventually, I experienced burnout and compassion fatigue.

Explore our Compassion Fatigue Training

How long did it take before stress became burnout?

Bonita: It took a good five years to go from early-stage burnout to late-stage burnout. I had no idea what was happening to me or what I should be doing about it. At that time, people weren't talking about burnout. It just wasn’t on the table. It was a taboo subject. I spoke with my medical doctor, but he didn’t understand what was happening to me beyond recognizing it was stress-related.

Eventually, after many years, I resigned from my job, which was a difficult decision, to say the least, because I was passionate about what I did. However, once I resigned, my body crashed, and it was stunning to me. I literally went from running marathons to being flat on my back for an entire year. It took five years and the help of many healthcare experts to recover.

Discover the Symptoms of Burnout

Who does burnout typically affect?

Bonita: Typically, the people who burn out in any given organization are its top performers. That's what the research shows. It’s not the people who just clock in and clock out because it’s a job. It's the people who give it their all, and sometimes it's too much.

What signs of burnout did you experience?

Host: Looking back, do you see a few glaring signs that you would now recognize as symptoms of burnout?

Bonita: The clearest indication was the way stress presented in my body. We are holistic beings. We have our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, financial, and professional parts to our whole. For me, the most glaring symptoms were related to physical stress. I became tired. I'm one of those people with loads of energy, but eventually, I got to the place where my battery was low all the time. I experienced a lot of minor illnesses alongside frequent bouts of laryngitis.

Unfortunately, I worked out really hard to compensate and felt amazing from the adrenaline rush, but that served to drain me even further. I needed yoga or other kinds of gentle exercise that would bring my parasympathetic nervous system up and my sympathetic nervous system down. Instead, I continued to feed the stress cycle.

Download your free Burnout Assessment today.

Can working out make burnout worse?

Host: I see so many women who are stressed out to the max. They are on autopilot, go, go, go, go, harder, faster. I see so many people working so hard when in reality, what their bodies needed was exactly what you talked about. They need to soothe their parasympathetic nervous system, but instead, they drive their sympathetic nervous system compulsively.

What can people do to lower their adrenal stress response?

Bonita: We need rest. Until the pandemic happened, it was almost as if rest was a bad word. Like there's something wrong with you if you need rest. There's something very unhealthy, systematically, socially and personally, with that kind of mantra. We deeply require rest, not only physical rest but also emotional and psychological rest.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

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The Difference Between Stress & Burnout

Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. DEO, Bonita Eby was interviewed on CHCH Morning Live. This article is a summary of that interview.

Click the image to watch the live television interview.

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Host: Burnout and stress are terms that are being used a lot more frequently and often interchangeably, but there is a difference. Burnout Prevention Strategist and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development, Bonita Eby, joins us this morning.

What is the definition of burnout?

Host: Good morning. Thanks for joining us. We throw the term burnout around all the time, but can you define burnout for us.

Bonita: Burnout results from chronic workplace stress that has been unsuccessfully managed. It often presents as exhaustion, cynicism around our work and reduced productivity. 1

What is the difference between burnout & stress?

Host: There's a difference obviously between burnout and stress.

Bonita: Absolutely. It’s that chronic, ongoing stress that happens in our workplace that can cause burnout. Stress is the impetus, while burnout results from ongoing, unresolved stress.

Can burnout look different in different people?

Host: Burnout is the result, but can it look different among individuals?

Bonita: Yes, and that's tricky because it looks different, although there are a few symptoms that tend to show up most of the time.

What are the symptoms of burnout?

Exhaustion:

First is exhaustion. Sometimes that starts with just feeling frequently tired, but in the end, it can escalate toward being exhausted to the point of not being able to walk up the stairs or get groceries or take care of your children properly. 2

Reduced Immunity:

Sometimes burnout presents through reduced immunity. Oftentimes, people find that their immune system becomes impacted when they’re exhausted and have stress hormones coursing through their bodies. As a result, they may get colds and cases of flu more often. In the early stages, they might not be able to fight off a rash. But eventually, the decreased immunity can lead to heart disease or even a heart attack. 3, 4

Sleep Disturbances

Insomnia and sleep disturbances can lead to emotional exhaustion. Often this is when people reach out for help. They find that their productivity is going down because they cannot sleep well anymore. They're just not able to handle things. But when their relationships at home begin to suffer, they reach out for help. 5,6

Learn more about The Symptoms of Burnout.

Does burnout happen quickly or slowly?

Host: Do you find now with your clients it's something that's just been a slow burn until all of those things have piled up, and they realize they've got a problem, but it's something that just develops over a long period of time?

Bonita: Burnout does take a long time to develop. In the beginning, it looks pretty insidious, and that's why I have a free Burnout Assessment that helps you understand where you are at risk and where you are not. People use this individually and within their organizations to take care of their employees.

How can an employee talk to their employer about burnout?

Host: Prevention is so important here, and so is talking to your employer if you're getting these warning signs.

Bonita: That's how many people use the Burnout Assessment. Individuals will download it, complete the Burnout Assessment and then talk with their boss. They now have something tangible in their hands to express what they're experiencing and find the resources they need to thrive. Sometimes that means going and talking with a counsellor or talking with a close friend.

Entire organizations use the Burnout Assessment with their employees so they can catch red flags early, provide resources, and provide training, sometimes in workshops, sometimes through individual coaching. Then, we get them through so they can be productive people within that organization long-term.

Download your free Burnout Assessment.

Are companies willing to address workplace burnout?

Host: Are you finding among employers and employees that the climate is right for that or is there a hesitancy to admit it?

Bonita: There’s both. There are ones who have been working on their culture and recognize that often it’s culture issues within the organization that can be tweaked to make a profound difference for their employees. That makes a huge difference to their bottom line. It's very expensive to lose one of your highest performers but putting a few things into place so employees can thrive lets your organization succeed.

Other organizations are a bit afraid of addressing workplace burnout, so sometimes, I'm the one who comes in and opens the conversation through workshops or consulting.

Host: We’re going to link up your website because it is a great resource. Thank you.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

References

1, 2. Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International classification of diseases. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases

3. Bargellini, A., Barbieri, A., Rovesti, S., Vivoli, R., Roncaglia, R., & Borella, P. (2000, July). Relation between immune variables and burnout in a sample of physicians. Retrieved June 22, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1739992/

4. Mommersteeg,, P. M., PhD, Heijnen, C. J., PhD, Kavelaars, A., PhD, & Van Doornen, L. J., PhD. (2006). Immune and Endocrine Function in Burnout Syndrome : Psychosomatic Medicine. Retrieved June 22, 2020, from https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/2006/11000/Immune_and_Endocrine_Function_in_Burnout_Syndrome.10.aspx

5. Sonnenschein, M., Sorbi, M. J., Van Doornen, L. J., Schaufeli, W. B., & Maas, C. J. (2006). Evidence that impaired sleep recovery may complicate burnout improvement independently of depressive mood. Utrecht: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17383501/

6. Armon, G., Shirom, A., Shapira, I., & Melamed, S. (2008). On the nature of burnout–insomnia relationships: A prospective study of employed adults. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 65(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.01.012

Three Ways Leaders Can Prevent Employee Burnout

Bonita Eby, owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., was recently interviewed on a podcast hosted by Nova Mutual Insurance Company entitled How to Flourish and Prevent Burnout. This article contains part of the podcast interview.

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Host: Tell us about yourself and what you do.

I'm a Burnout Prevention Strategist and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development, Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals at the intersection of health and leadership development. I’m on a mission to end burnout.

Culture begins with leadership

Host: You mentioned leadership development. Do you find starting with leadership development helps organizations?

It always begins with leaders. In any organization, culture changes based on how the leadership not only speaks but how they act. If you have a policy, but it's not modelled at the leadership level, you're not going to find it acted upon throughout the entire organization. I find using leadership development, my professional healthcare background and years of research on burnout prevention make quality changes throughout an entire organization.

My burnout story

Host: What is your relationship with burnout? Do you have a backstory that led you to strategize and specialize in burnout prevention?

Yes, I know burnout intimately and went through burnout myself. I was in a leadership development role, project management, and training teams and leaders. I was also on a crisis line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I flourished in that leadership development space, but when you combine that with the pressures of crisis management, it became overwhelmingly stressful, and I went through burnout and compassion fatigue.

When that happened, it changed my entire life. Now I've spent years developing ways to prevent burnout, researching what causes it, and how to recover. And I've created systematic processes to help others do just that, both on an organizational and individual level.

Where does burnout come from?

There is a lot of confusion because there's so much on social media that would imply burnout is essentially just a word we use to cover all kinds of umbrella issues. As a result, we see many uninformed recommendations, like taking a bubble bath to solve our problems, without any research to back it up.

Workplace stress that has been unsuccessfully managed is at the root of burnout. We're talking about overwhelming stress, not the basic stress we easily overcome on a daily basis. We're talking about stress that becomes overwhelming because the pressures keep coming too hard and too fast. Interestingly, research shows that the highest achievers in any given organization are most at risk for going through burnout.

What are the early warning signs of burnout?

Considering burnout is due to unmanaged workplace stress, the first symptom is too much chronic stress. We all come across stressors throughout our day, many of which we manage without a problem. We get over it; it's gone. It doesn't even register on our radar at the end of the day. But it's when we're stressed all the time that we become exhausted.

In the early stages of burnout, people find they're tired but don’t think it’s that big of a deal. But over time, that fatigue progresses to exhaustion. And when I say exhaustion, it's physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Employees can’t show up to work at their best and produce at their very best when they're exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Many people develop minor illnesses. For example, they used to get colds once a year. Now they're getting two colds once a month, and they wonder what’s happening. Perhaps they begin getting minor infections. We don't like to talk about that, but it’s a common reality.

Often, people start having stressful dreams where they wake up in the middle of the night, having dreamed they're at work, and everything is going wrong. That's an indication that they’re not shutting off from work, and it’s creeping into every part of their life.

You can see how early burnout warning signs are quite insidious. That's why it's hard to spot in the early days and one of the reasons why it's so critically important for individuals to understand the warning signs and for managers, supervisors, and team leaders to understand so that they can keep their team healthy.

Are leaders concerned about stress & burnout?

When I speak with leaders about their experiences, they indicate overwhelming stress and burnout are causing them concern. It comes down to at the end of the day, they have no time or energy left for their family or friends. That doesn't sound like a life that's flourishing.

Why does burnout affect an organization’s highest achievers?

They are deeply devoted, passionate and give it their all. They are the ones who care. They're the ones who genuinely want to produce. So you put extra work on their plate, and they say, “okay, I'll push through. I’ll do this because I care about the company.” Burnout often affects the people you want to retain most; it's your top talent. Without proper support, they will leave the organization to find one with a workplace culture that will sustain them.

Research shows that to replace just one person in your organization who has burned out costs a company 1.5 to two times that person's annual salary. To make that clear, let’s say someone makes $100,000 annually in your organization. To replace that employee will cost anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000. Based on that number, prevention is a much more cost-effective strategy for any organization.

Are burnout and stress two different things?

Stress is a natural response to any crisis situation. It's related to survival. Our brain reacts immediately to stress and puts us into a fight, flight or freeze response. That's normal and healthy when a lion is chasing us, and we want to get away. We're now in a situation where those stress responses are happening perhaps ten times an hour, sometimes hundreds of times a day. Our systems were not meant to deal with that overwhelming exposure, so we need stress management techniques, which is a popular topic I train on in corporate workshops.

Is Burnout an individual or workplace culture issue?

We tend to think about burnout prevention in terms of how we can manage our self-care and boundaries. That's important, but the overwhelming evidence shows that burnout is due to an organization’s workplace culture and systems issues.

What can organizations do to prevent employee burnout?

1. Train managers to recognize the signs of burnout

Train your managers, team leaders, and supervisors to recognize the symptoms of burnout. Educate managers to have empathy and emotional intelligence around that whole conversation.

2. Open the burnout conversation by creating psychological safety

Train leaders to open the conversation with their team around burnout because most don’t naturally know how to have that conversation. It's a touchy subject. Many employees are terrified to talk with their team leader about where they're struggling. Without those open, honest conversations, the employee cannot receive the support and resources they need.

When experiencing burnout, an employee’s productivity will not be the same. How do they sit down with their manager and say, “I think I'm burning out. Can you help me?” if they don’t feel psychologically safe? But suppose their manager is well-trained on how to handle those conversations with empathy and connection. In that case, it creates a psychologically safe environment in which the employee can speak honestly and openly and receive the resources they need.

3. Communicate policies around priorities, boundaries, and autonomy

This is such a huge part of preventing burnout. Do employees have the ability to make choices around where they work, when they work, and how they work? Do they feel they have an equal voice at the table? Or do they fear being chastised if they speak up and say, “I've got this great idea,” or “I think this could work differently”?

Do employees feel connected to the job in terms of their values? Do they feel connected to the mission and vision of the company? Sit down with your employees and see how many of them can recite your mission, vision and values. If they can't, there's a problem in the organization because employees need to feel connected to purpose and meaning. When there is a deep connection to vision and purpose, employees tend to perform better and are more likely to remain committed to the organization.

Bring our workshops to your organization.

Empower your people and culture with workshops and training on burnout prevention, stress management, mental health, Compassion Fatigue, healthy boundaries, resilience, and more.

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

Free Burnout Assessment Tool For Organizations & Individuals

Discover your burnout risk

Are you feeling exhausted? Wondering why your productivity is waning? Have trouble sleeping due to stress dreams? Burnout affects our health on many levels, including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, financial, and professional health. Therefore, the Burnout Assessment considers all of these areas alongside the common causes of burnout.

Download the free burnout assessment.

A free burnout assessment for personal & organizational health

Whether you are looking for an effective tool for measuring your personal burnout risk or within your corporate, non-profit, or faith-based organization, the Burnout Assessment provides an effective tool. This robust assessment is evidence-based, encompasses a vast body of research, and helps identify a burnout experience.

The definition of burnout

The World Health Organization created the most commonly used definition of burnout. Specifically, the explanation labels burnout as an occupational phenomenon under the Classification of Diseases. 1

The WHO defines burnout as "a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy. 2

Using the Burnout Assessment at work

The Burnout Assessment provides an effective tool for evaluating employee burnout risk, thereby providing a wealth of information to help prevent burnout on your team.

Protect your highest performers from burning out whether they work in-office, work from home, or enjoy a hybrid work model. High performers tend to be motivated by their work. However, autonomy around when, where, how, and what projects they work on is crucial to sustaining productivity and preventing a burnout experience.

Burnout is more than just a work-life balance issue. It reflects company culture priorities around workload, autonomy, reward, connection, equity and values. Employee wellness incorporates both a healthy workplace culture and personal self-care.

The first step is opening the conversation with employees about burnout. This assessment provides you with essential questions uncovering relevant information for understanding the strains and stress within your organization.

Learn what causes your employees the most significant stress so you can implement effective measures. This can positively impact employee well-being and increase productivity. Further, you can prevent costly leaves of absence and termination by stopping burnout before it happens.

Speaking openly about burnout in the workplace and naming the elephant in the room can foster psychological safety, so others are willing to reach out for the support they require to flourish.

Happy, healthy employees create healthy organizations that thrive. 

Warning signs you may have burnout

Burnout refers to a state of emotional and physical exhaustion that results from unsuccessfully managed workplace stress. 3

A pioneering researcher and psychologist, Christian Maslach, named three dimensions of burnout that arise in response to chronic workplace stressors. These stressors are at the heart of occupational burnout.

1 Physical and mental exhaustion

The primary symptom of burnout is overwhelming exhaustion which can perpetuate physical signs and emotional fatigue. Exhaustion may present as a lack of physical energy, mental brain fog, feeling overwhelmed at work, or having no emotional reserves left for family or friends at the end of the workday. 4

2. Feelings of cynicism or negativity toward work

The second symptom is depersonalization, which may present as decreased engagement. According to Maslach's research, in the early stages of burnout, employees tend to distance themselves from their work, perhaps responding to emails more slowly, taking more time off work, or putting less effort into their work. 5

On the other hand, employees with particular personality types may push themselves harder, believing that with just enough work, they will move up the ladder or accomplish the objective they desire. These types tend to work themselves into the ground.

When employees lack the support they need from their employer or lack necessary psychological safety to speak with their manager about challenges, they often become cynical about their work and workplace. As a result, they may feel negatively toward their boss, coworkers or organization, causing conflict on the team. Or they may begin to lack focus on the organization's mission, vision, and values, which can lead to decreased performance.

At this stage, employees may feel disheartened or disillusioned with their work and consider resigning from their position.

3. Decreased performance or efficacy

Due to physical and mental exhaustion, disengagement, and other burnout symptoms, employees experiencing burnout can become less productive. As a result, they may find it more challenging to complete tasks or produce lesser-quality work. In addition, this loss of productivity can lead to reduced self-confidence, anxiety or feelings of shame or depression.

Notably, the more an employee can exercise personal freedom around decision-making, the higher the job satisfaction, engagement, and performance. Frequently, burnout is a direct result of workplace culture and conflicting values. 6

The symptoms of burnout

Many symptoms can persist due to the effects of burnout. Indications may include reduced immunity, brain fog, sleep disturbances, shame and guilt. To learn more about the signs of burnout, read more here. 

Are burnout & compassion fatigue the same?

While there are similarities, Compassion Fatigue results from exposure to secondary trauma, also called vicarious trauma, which occurs when exposed to other people's suffering. 7,8,9

Does burnout affect mental health?

Work that lacks meaning, purpose and connection alongside low agency over goals and responsibilities creates a perfect storm for occupational burnout. In turn, negative implications can lead to physical, emotional, and mental health challenges. However, by understanding what causes your stress, or your employees' stress, you can prioritize change and implement practical solutions.

Burnout self-test

Burnout occurs when committed and passionate people lose their connection to their work due to chronic stress and disillusionment. As a result, their passion and enthusiasm dry up, and they may become disheartened and less productive.

The good news is burnout can be prevented and overcome. Moreover, there are many practical solutions to stop burnout and recover when necessary.

This Burnout Assessment tool is the first step toward recognizing your own burnout risk or the risk of your employees.

Burnout Assessment categories

This burnout measure gauges burnout risks in both the professional sphere as well as how work affects life outside of work.

The assessment evaluates workload, autonomy, reward, community, equity, and values in the professional sphere. The second half determines how work affects you physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally and financially.

Questions in each category reveal areas of potential risk. For individuals, the results can help one determine what needs to change in order to achieve well-being and professional longevity. For organizations, the results can help managers and leaders assess and monitor the well-being of their employees while providing conversation starters related to wellness and efficacy.

Revised & updated Burnout Assessment

What has changed?

1. Easy to use.

The assessment is broken down into easy-to-read & easy-to-interpret sections.

2. New categories.

The assessment evaluates two key areas based on the latest scientific research. The first includes six factors known to accelerate burnout in the workplace: lack of workload, autonomy, reward, community, equity, and values in the professional sphere. The second half determines how work affects your health in six critical areas.

3. New questions.

The assessment is more robust, with 120 questions across 12 categories making evaluation that much easier.

4. Diversity and inclusion.

Equity questions have been added to evaluate employees' sense of fairness related to ethnicity, gender and faith.

5. New format.

Questions are divided into clearly divided sections so organizations can better interpret how company culture affects employees.

6. New scoring.

With newly revised categories, scoring and interpretation occur on three easy-to-understand planes. First is the overall score. The second is the score within each category. The third is recognizing red flags within any section.

Instructions for completing the Burnout Assessment tool

Once you have downloaded the Burnout Assessment, read through each question and answer to the best of your ability. Responses are on a scale of one to ten, with one representing “disagree” and ten representing “agree”.

Your assessment results and interpretation

It is essential to look not only at the overall single burnout score but also recognize which areas have lower scales. It is not uncommon to see someone who finds their workload manageable and reward adequate but is experiencing severe workplace stress in the areas of autonomy and equity, for example. Their level of burnout may be low in one area but high in another. Therefore, it is essential to look at overall scores for each category and zero in on specific areas in which you are experiencing unmanaged workplace stress.

While the Burnout Assessment is a resource for discovering unhealthy patterns of workplace stress and its effects on life outside of work, it is not a diagnostic tool and does not provide a diagnosis. The assessment is a guiding tool to understand the stressors that can cause job burnout and consider appropriate measures to reduce burnout levels. Please be advised to seek the advice of your medical doctor. 

Support for those experiencing burnout

Several options exist to support organizations and individuals to prevent and overcome workplace burnout. 

For organizations, it is essential to evaluate workplace culture to determine what, if anything, contributes to employee workplace stress. In addition, workplace wellness programs and employee assistance programs should include access to many healthcare professionals, counselling and coaching.

Training for leaders and managers to understand the symptoms of burnout and have meaningful conversations with employees is essential to burnout prevention.

Individuals may approach their manager to discuss their assessment results and negotiate options for supporting their well-being while remaining in their current role or shifting to one that fits their strengths more appropriately. Additionally, getting quality support from a knowledgeable coach or counsellor and implementing self-care measures can lead to a rewarding career while sustaining their well-being.

Disclaimer: The Burnout Assessment does not provide a diagnosis. The scores do not attempt to reflect a prognosis or course of treatment. Instead, the assessment is a tool to help assess burnout potential using a series of questions. If you have concerns about your health, well-being or mental health, please consult your medical doctor.

Download your free Burnout Assessment

About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

References

1, 2  “Burn-out an ‘Occupational Phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases.” World Health Organization. World Health Organization, May 28, 2019. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases.

3 Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. San Francisco, CA, CA: Jossey - Bass.

4 Review, Harvard Business. HBR Guide to Beating Burnout: Recognize the Signs. Make Sustainable Changes. Reengage at Work. HBR Guides. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press, 2021. (pp. 67.)

5 Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. San Francisco, CA, CA: Jossey - Bass.

6 Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. San Francisco, CA, CA: Jossey - Bass. (pp. 9-10)

7 Cocker, F., & Joss, N. (2016, June 22). Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare, Emergency and Community Service Workers: A Systematic Review. Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924075/

8 Compassion Fatigue. (2017, January 04). Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://www.stress.org/military/for-practitionersleaders/compassion-fatigue

9. P. Skapinakis, G., M. van't Leven, G., P. Skapinakis, G., SB. Harvey, S., M. Maes, F., K. Kato, P.,T. Pawlikowska, T. (1970, January 01). Determinants of fatigue and stress. Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1756-0500-4-238

10 Ways to Reduce Workplace Stress

While stress at work is expected to a certain degree, adopting effective coping strategies to reduce stress can build resilience and prevent burnout. Here are some stress management techniques you can try if you are feeling overwhelmed.

Does stress cause burnout?

While stress does not always lead toward burnout, prolonged stress and chronic stress based upon the following six key factors can lead to burnout. 1

Download our free Burnout Assessment today.

Common workplace stressors:

Excessive workload

• Heavy workloads that surpass our capacity to complete tasks can lead to burnout. Feeling chronically overloaded causes undue stress and reduces opportunities for complete restorative rest. Having work that fits our skills and resources can be an effective antidote to burnout when paired with a healthy company culture.

Lack of control

• Autonomy is critical for keeping burnout stress away. When we feel a lack of control over where, when and how we work, it impacts our well-being. Knowing we have the power to make decisions and access reliable resources makes a tremendous difference to our mental well-being.

Lack of reward

• The rewards of our job must match the output of time and effort we put into our work. Intrinsic rewards include feeling meaningfully connected to the mission and vision in which we invest ourselves. Extrinsic rewards include monetary compensation, benefits package, vacation time, and recognition.

Absence of fairness

• Inequitable treatment can cause undue stress and emotional exhaustion. When our contributions are not recognized, or we experience a glass ceiling due to gender or orientation, it can lead to a burnout experience. When our ability to climb the ladder is diminished due to ethnicity, these and other unfair disadvantages can lead to psychological distress and exacerbate burnout.

Unmatched values

• When our personal and workplace values conflict, it largely affects our ability to stay motivated and engaged and contributes to our level of stress. If we feel we must set aside intrinsic values, invest in unsavoury resources, or cause societal harm to accomplish our work, the resulting stress can lead to burnout.

How to tell the difference between stress & burnout.

We inherently experience stress throughout the day. Our bodies and minds are naturally equipped to deal with stress effectively and efficiently. However, in our modern lifestyles, with increasing demands, concerns about world events, and a constant barrage of notifications from texts, emails and social media, we can find ourselves experiencing an overwhelming level of stress often. These inputs put us in a fight, flight, or freeze response regularly rather than in the occasional emergency for which these survival mechanisms were designed. 2

When we notice the stress causing us to become exhausted, cynical and less productive, those are the signs we are moving toward burnout. 3 Learn more about the warning signs of burnout, including mental, emotional, and physical signs of burnout, as well as how burnout can affect our professional life here.

Are you on the road to burnout?

While stress and burnout are closely related, you can watch for signs and symptoms of burnout in your daily life. Learn about common burnout symptoms such as emotional and mental exhaustion here. To learn your risk of burnout, download our free Burnout Assessment.

What is Compassion Fatigue?

Compassion Fatigue and burnout are again closely related but have significant differences. For instance, Compassion Fatigue is stress resulting from exposure to secondary traumatic stress, also known as vicarious trauma, expressed by suffering people. 4,5

Whereas the World Health Organization's definition of burnout is associated with unsuccessfully managed workplace stress, Compassion Fatigue is related to exposure to another person's trauma. 6 However, burnout and Compassion Fatigue are both stress-related and can co-exist.

Stress management techniques:

By employing effective stress management in our everyday lives, we can take control of stress and prevent burnout's extreme exhaustion. 

1. Create a healthy work-life balance

The most common cause of burnout is overwork, which can ultimately lead to burnout. So if you’re feeling stressed about the amount of time you spend at home or with friends and family compared to working hours, take some time to reflect on what matters in life more than just working hard and accomplishing tasks. First, take a deep look into what success means to you. Then, develop healthy habits that put your life more in balance, including the ones listed below.

2. Develop an exercise routine

Regular physical activity improves your overall mood and helps manage the stress that crops up in everyday life. You don’t have to run marathons to reap these benefits, although as a former marathoner, I can attest it certainly helps. Even 30 minutes of brisk walking every day will improve your mental well-being and overall health status. 

There are many ways you can incorporate exercise that naturally meshes with your lifestyle. Consider setting your day up well with a walking meditation first thing in the morning. Take a walk during your lunch break, or incorporate walking meetings into your day. Make a clear delineation between work and home life by exercising immediately after completing your final task of the day. 

Additionally, incorporate a healthy diet that provides you with the nourishment you need to support your health status.

3. Take breaks throughout the day

If you constantly try to keep up with deadlines and never take a break during the day,. So you could be at risk of burnout, make sure you take breaks throughout the day on a regular basis so that you can clear your mind and recharge.

Schedule ten-minute breaks between meetings to engage in mindfulness practice. Get up and stretch between tasks. After performing creative or detail-oriented work, switch to an activity that gives you an easy win.

4. Take small and consistent measures

If you’re constantly worrying about big projects, conflicts, or other issues at work, they may be affecting your ability to cope with stress. Find ways to deal with problems head-on so they don’t consume too much of your thoughts and energy. Break the issues into small increments and decide what parts you can control. Then, create bite-sized, measurable actions to help you feel you are moving ahead. Finally, consistently recognize and celebrate the movement you are making and keep the momentum going to support your mental and emotional health.

5. Avoid unnecessary conflict

Interpersonal conflict can take a toll on your physical, emotional, and mental health. While conflict among co-workers can at times be difficult to escape, try being a peacemaker while upholding your integrity and position. Seek to listen and understand others' perspectives. Develop a curiosity and be willing to consider another view.

When conflicts continue ongoing, engage in healthy conflict resolution. Surround yourself with wise people who can give you sound advice. When necessary, reach out to experts who deal with conflict resolution, diversity and inclusion, and other specific services. Keep watch for the signs of burnout and when conflict creates excessive stress, seek professional support.

6. Get enough sleep

Getting adequate sleep each night is essential to managing stress and promoting good health. Try to go to bed earlier and give yourself more time to unwind and practice self-care. Develop good sleep habits, including turning off your tech an hour before bedtime to reduce stress and limit exposure to blue light. Create a sleep oasis with blackout curtains, a comfortable bed and bedding, and keep your phone outside of the bedroom. Upon waking, get active to increase blood flow, get some sunlight, whether real or from a sunlamp, and begin your day with a restful routine free from technology.

7. Relax and unwind

You probably already know how relaxing music or mindfulness can help ease stress, but there are many other ways to relax as well. Spend some time doing something you enjoy, like reading, cooking a meal, participating in physical activity like yoga or soccer. Incorporate relaxation into every day. Spend time with a loved one, hug your pet, get a massage, practice deep breathing, do a crossword puzzle. Whatever allows you to unwind healthfully in a daily routine will help you manage your stress levels.

8. Avoid unnecessary worry

Much stress comes from rehashing the past and worrying about what might go wrong in the future. Recognize what you can control and what you cannot. Make small and specific goals for dealing with what you can manage to improve yourself and your situation, and try letting go of what you cannot. This is easier said than done and is a significant challenge for many. Consider engaging in a faith tradition that resonates with you. Read inspiring books and sacred texts that fill you with hope while bringing you peace. Reach out to a friend for comfort and a fresh perspective. Talk to a mentor, coach, or counsellor for additional resources.

9. Be crystal clear on requirements

Speak to your manager to establish a role description with clear objectives and timelines. Then, ask for human and technology resources to help you accomplish your work efficiently and effectively. Finally, ask clarifying questions, understand the underlying vision and values, and stay in your lane.

If you find yourself wondering if you are doing enough or producing work at the expected standard, talk with your supervisor. Discuss expectations and strategies for completing them. Knowing what you are and are not responsible for can relieve stress for both of you.

10. Turn off your notifications

According to research conducted by Corey Keyes 7 and popularized by Adam Grant in his article entitled, “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing,” 8 constant interruptions to our thinking cause fragmentation, leading to a lack of mental well-being. 

The dings, pings, and buzzing indicating incoming text, phone, email and Slack notifications cause such fragmentation by interrupting our thought processes. Likewise, social media notifications can cause a fight, flight or freeze stress response and create an unhealthy internal desire to respond immediately.

By turning your notifications to silent, you can decide when to engage with incoming tasks, asks, and conversations. That way, you take control of your tech rather than letting it control you.

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About the author

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

References:

1. Saunders, E. G. (2021, August 27). 6 causes of burnout, and how to avoid them. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2019/07/6-causes-of-burnout-and-how-to-avoid-them

2. Nunez, K. (2023, February 10). Fight, flight, freeze: What this response means. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/fight-flight-freeze

3. Poghosyan L, Aiken LH, Sloane DM. Factor structure of the Maslach burnout inventory: an analysis of data from large scale cross-sectional surveys of nurses from eight countries [published correction appears in Int J Nurs Stud. 2014 Oct;51(10):1416-7]. Int J Nurs Stud. 2009;46(7):894-902. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.03.004

4. Cocker, F., & Joss, N. (2016). Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare, Emergency and Community Service Workers: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental  Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(6), 618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13060618

5. Cocker, F., & Joss, N. (2016). Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare, Emergency and Community Service Workers: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental  Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(6), 618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13060618

6. World Health Organization. (2019, May 28). Burn-out an "Occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. World Health Organization. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases 

7. Corey L. M. Keyes. "The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 43, no. 2 (2002): 207-22. Accessed May 5, 2021. doi:10.2307/3090197. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2002-15089-006

8. Grant, A. (2021, April 19). There's a name for the blah you're feeling: It's called languishing. The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html